Eldritch
Eldritch is the giant tree located on the western side of D'nalsi. It is inhabited by a cult and its engimatic leader, The Great Bansai, whose belief systems revolve around reverence for knowledge and the spiritual experiences enacted by the halluciogenic substances that grow withinside the tree. A giant underground lake lies beneath the tree, and is where the capital of the Merpeople, Mersailles, is located. Eldritch is large enough to support solid structures, which the inhabitants have taken advantage of by building a giant and interconnected academy on. Eldritch's peripheal is surrounded by an expansive wooden staircase that leads up to its canopy where it enters the throne room of its cult leader. The citizens of Eldritch follow a strict caste system, with the Merpeople at the bottom and any high ranking cult officials or professors of the academy at the top. In between these two extremes are merchants, traders, and farmers of the halluciogenic substance which grows throughout the vast interconnected tunnels of Eldritch. Structure of the Tree Throne Room : Home to the leader of Eldritch, The Great Bansai. It's a fairly empty room except for a large pot of dirt in the center of the room. This is where The Great Bansai spends much of his time. The room lacks a roof so the leader can absorb sunlight and enjoy the plentiful rainfall. Government : Eldritch is run by absolute dictator and cult leader, The Great Bansai. He has a board of advisers made entirely of the flora found in Eldritch. He doesn't impose many harsh rules and pretty much lets his followers do as they please with their lives as long as they don't forsake education and nature. Caste System : The cult leader is on top, ruling over all. Below him are the cult priests, then academy professors, then merchants and traders, then farmers, and then the Merpeople who inhabit the underground lake beneath Eldritch. Economy : Eldritch has recently slipped into isolationism since The Great Bansai took over, prefering not to trade with any other towns unless absolutely necessary so they mainly grow or make anything they need to survive and live frugal lives. Religion : Eldritch is run by a cult whose main belief is the pursuit of knowledge and living in harmony with nature. They are taught to live frugally and to use the hallucinogenic substances that grow on the tree to experience spiritual tastes of "divine wisdom." They do not worship a deity, though they consider nature to be divine and all knowing. Education System : The people of Eldritch value nature and education over everything else. Newborns are taken away from their parents at age five and put into a long series of boarding schools throughout The Academy that revolve around natural studies, sciences, and meditation ceremonies. There is a huge emphasis on critical thinking in Eldritch's education system. There are very few teachers, as only the youngest students are tutored by the older ones. At a certain point Eldritchian children are expected to become self-educated. Those who abandon their education path early usually go on to become low-ranking warriors, scouts and farmers. : A student completes their first phase of education usually within twenty years, and then must complete what is known as the "Three Rites of Knowledge" where they must choose a specialized field of study, write a dissertation, go to the Grove of Elders to meditate for seven days, and then come back and revise their dissertation and then, finally, orally present it to several academy professors in that field of study. If they pass, which only brightest, most patient, and most mentally enduring do, they are granted permission to attend The Academy for their master studies in their fields of choosing. Category:Locations Category:Cities